The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-05
ESTABLISHED 1880.
r. N, EsTILL, Editor and Proprietor.
4 HOAX TO MAKE ASTAKE
TIE CHIEF JUSTICES INTERNAL
MACHINE HARML ESS.

Put Up the job in Order to Sell the
News as a Sensation-Gov. Oglesby
Studying the Case of the Con-
demned.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4.--Sherburne G.
uopkins, the person through whom the
nolice indirectly learned last evening that
mysterious looking package had been
sont through the mails to Chief Justice
Waite, made confession this afternoon to
Irsnectors Raft and Horne, in which he adj
,ntted that the scheme was invented by
himself and Arthur B. Sperry, a reporter
m the critic, an afternoon paper here, for
the purpose of creating a sensation. Inspec-
tor Raft SAYS that Hopkins also admitted
that another purpose was TO raiSe some
money through the sale Of the sensation to
newspaper correspondents Both Hopkins
and Sperry were Immediately arrested
upon charge of conspiracy to defvaud r.
i, Wynne, of the Cincinnati Commercial
Gazette.
THE HARMLESS INTERNAL MACHINE.
Hopkins also said in his confession that
the package contained few grains of pow
der. lust sufficient to burst the tube and
alarm the i.arson who might open the pack
age a quantity of shoe backng, common
writing ink and two exploded percussion
cans. This afternoon District Chemist
Richardson made an examination OF the
| nackagte and found tha1 Hopkins
| statement as to its contents was
substantially correct, except that
| the percussion caps were unexploded Hop
Lins dated his notes offering the alleged
/ news to various correspondents, room n,
Corcoran building, Office of Mr. O. Austin.
Sperry is the person who called at the
Chief Justices residence last evening and
inquired whether the mysterious looking
package had been received.
EXPLOSIVES IN THY MAILS.
Assistant Attorney General Bryant of
the Post Office Department, said to-day in
i reference to the transmission Of explosives
/ through the mails and the penalty attached
to mailing the same, that The postal
laws proper only declare upmailable
/ explosives or other matter liable t0
iniure the mails or the persons of
those Who handle them and make it the duty
Of postal employees to withdraw such matter
from the mails when discovered. None of
the statutes defining postal crimes make it
a criminal offense to offer such matter for
4 mailing, nor does there appear to be any
Federal statute declaring such an act a
crime. The postal officials, said Judge
Bryant, have no right to withdraw
from the mails fully prepaid matter at first
class rates, enclosed under seal, unless it is
manifest, without breaking the seal, that
su"l matter iG unmailable. 1t not enough,
ssId he, that the package be suspicious in
appearance # Hopkins aid Sperry are
convicted a. all, ii must be under the dis
trict law.
RELEASED ON BAIL
Hopkins and Sperry secured bail later IL
the afternoon and were released, to appear
ID Police Court tomorrow morning and
answer the charge of conspiracy to defraud
Mr. Wynne. District Attorney WOrthing
ton. is looking up the law. of the District of
Columbia tonight to see If there IS not
some other statute under which the young
men can be punished. 1t is thought thai
they can be '},>7 TO answer a more serious
charge than that OF conspiracy Hopkins,
TIE principal in the case. is d young man
about y years OF age, rather dudishly in
cned, and OF an unenviable reputation
among the correspondents in newspaper
row, who speak of him as a romancier in
fields where fact and not fiction is demanded.
Hr is not regarded as vicious, but simply as
a dealer in the sensational
IA OF FAKES.
He has Ie+- :, nally imposed what are
known as So. stories upon Washington
correspondents, and for this reason they
have of late fought shy of news which he
brought to them. Last nights exploit,
however, was entirely unlike anything in
NulCu uS udOl previously ellBdgSti, anu do II
was an exceedingly serious affair in what
ever aspect it was viewed, his
story was telegraphed the papers after
an investigation had shown that the
box was actually sent to the Chief
Justice, and that it contained gunpowder
and sorie suspicious looking unknown liquid.
At the same time the reputation of Hopkins
4 was such as to discredit his story, and all of
i the correspondents who wrote it up for their
4 papers called attention to the probability
that the affair was hoax. At tie time of
Inc excitement over the RaRVay, n. j.,
murder, Hopkins wrote or dispatch pre-
tending to identity the murdered woman as
i former inmate of a house which is called
Division" in this city. He is also responsi-
bic for an item printed in one or two papers
4 asserting the existence of a Congressional
poker club, which changed its quarters
4 nightly and had for doorkeeper an employe
at the capitol
GOV. oGLEsBY READING UP.
CHICAGO, Nov. A special to the Daily
NelcS from Springfield H., says: The
reporter of the Supreme Court delivered to
the Governor this morning the first copies
OF the advance sheets OF the opinion of the
81 Illinois Supreme Court in the Anarchist
case Gov. Oglesby is busily engaged in ex-
Alhlning the records of the case,
the decisions of the Illinois, and
United States Supreme Court, newspaper
e"ItorlalS and reports OF Tine puDllc eA-
pfesslons of prominent men, Since he en-
tered upon this task he has not made his
appearance at the executive office until
nearly noon, and then only to remain for
lew minutes After this he retires again to
Inc mansion, and devotes his attention to
careful inspection of the case and matter
/ which may have come by mail to him dur
ing the morning.
HIS MAIL DOUBLED.
Since the decision of the United States
supreme Court refusing the writ OF error
me mail of the Governors Office has more
man doubled, and the Office force has been
ouSlly engaged in the disposal of the ac-
emulation until nearly midnight. The
petitions that have been circulated in varl-
4 sus cities in behalf of the Anarchists
nave not begun to arrive and
me mail consists mainly OF
individual appeals The Governor arrived
at theeXecutive office shortly before noon
day. The mornings mail was full of an.
srchlstic communications from ali parts OF
me country, but their contents were not
1sclosed He said the letters OF Engel,
nrl,ngg and Fischer have never reached him.
Inc Parsons letter has not been re
.elved and il may be said
tor the Governor that he has only